Aerosol valve construction



Dec. 28, 196 w. R. ODONNELL AEROSOL VALVE CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 20, 1963 F4Ig. 4 22 i 24 INVENTOR. William RO'Donnell HEIENT United States Patent 3,225,969 AEROSOL VALVE CONSTRUCTION William R. ODonnell, Trumbull, Conn., assignor to Valve Corporation of America, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 303,240 6 Claims. (Cl. 222-394) This invention relates to small hand-held aerosol devices, and more particularly to the valve constructions thereof.

Where water-based aerosol substances are confined in a dispensing container with propellents of the propane type there is not a complete mixing of the two, and accordingly it has been the practice to arrange for a controlled escape of gas as the liquid is being dispensed, to obtain a more effecting vaporization and atomizing of the product.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved valve construction which is suitable for use with water-based aerosol substances and propane type propellents, wherein a controlled escape of gas is obtained in a simple and inexpensive manner, especially when utilizing molded parts such as the valve housings, etc.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved valve construction as above set forth, wherein escape passages of extremely small, closely controlled cross sectional areas may be readily economically obtained.

A feature of the invention resides in the provision of an improved valve construction as characterized, whereby the desired escape passages are obtained by a special shaping of the molds to produce grooves or depressions in one part which cooperate with surfaces of another part when these are assembled, to effect the said passages.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings accompanying this specification, similar characters of reference are used to designate like components throughout the several views, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view of an aerosol valve construction as provided by the invention.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated in broken outline the upper portion of an aerosol container, including a top rim or neck 12 engaged with a sealing washer 14 carried in an inverted mounting cup 16. The lower rim or flange of the mounting cup 16 may be crimped or otherwise formed in any suitable manner, to grip the peripheral bead on the neck 12 so as to securely mount the cup on the container.

The mounting cup 16 has a raised central tubular portion 18 with a top flat surface 20 provided with a central opening, through which a vertical hollow or tubular valve stem 22 extends. Below the top surface 20 is a valve washer 24 arranged for engagement with an annular valve shoulder 26 on the stem 22. A side opening or passage 28 in the valve stem 22 becomes located below the valve washer 24 when the stem 22 is depressed, enabling aerosol substance to pass upward through the upper tubular portion of the stem 22 and out through a suitable actuator and orifice structure (not shown), all in the usual manner.

Carried by the mounting cup 16 and located within the upper portion of the container 10 is a molded plastic valve housing designated generally by the numeral 30, said housing having a lower or depending portion 32 in which there is press fitted the upper extremity 34 of a dip tube, as in common practice.

The valve housing 30 has an upper portion 36 of enlarged diameter, providing an internal chamber in which there is disposed a valve return spring 38 engaging at its upper end the valve shoulder 26 and at its lower end an internal fixed annular shoulder 40 of the valve housing. Normally the valve spring 38 maintains the stem 22 in the raised non-discharging position shown. Shifting the stem downward, as by applying pressure to an actuator button (not shown) arranged to be mounted on the top end of the stem will shift the side opening 28 below the valve washer 24 whereby aerosol substance may pass upward through the valve housing, through the dip tube, through the upper portion of the valve stem 22 and out at the orifice.

Valve constructions as above set forth are already well known, and accordingly further details of the known structures are not given herein. Such details and a further explanation of the functioning of the valve and discharge action are given in Patent No. 3,039,659 and in my copending application Serial No. 216,018 filed August 6, 1962 and entitled Aerosol Device and Method of Producing Same, now Patent No. 3,161,330.

In accordance with the present invention, the valve construction as provided herein is especially adapted for use with water-based aerosol substances when confined in the container 10 with propellents of the propane type. Such propellents and the water-based substances do not fully mix, and accordingly in order to effect the best possible atomization or vaporization of the discharged spray, a vapor tap or gas discharge passage is provided which enables the volatile portion of the propellent to pass out with the liquid aerosol substance and to mix with the same during such passage.

In accordance with the present invention, such escape or vapor tap passages are provided by a special shaping of the molds which produce the molded parts, especially the molded plastic valve housing 30. The special shaping provides only grooves or indentations in the surface of the valve housing or other molded part whereby cooperable surfaces of other parts can cooperate to produce an escape passage in an extremely economical manner, as well as enabling passages to be obtained having extremely small cross sectional areas, which characteristic is difficult to obtain where the escape passage is to be formed by a pin or the like projecting into the mold cavity.

As shown in the figures, the valve housing 30 has an upper annular rim portion 44 which engages the valve washer 24, said rim portion being provided with an in verted L-shaped groove 46 as seen in FIG. 1. The groove 46 comprises a portion disposed in the top surface of the rim portion 44 and also a portion disposed in the outer side surface of the rim portion. The groove 46 may be readily formed in the molded valve housing 30 by a slight modification of the mold cavity, as may be readily understood, and does not require the use of protruding pins of small diameter or the like. Instead, the walls of the groove 46 in conjunction with the adjoining inside walls of the portion 18 of the mounting cup and the under surface of the valve washer 24 result in an effective vapor discharge passage being provided whereby gas may escape between the valve housing 30 and the valve washer 24. Normally such gas cannot pass out through the valve construction when the valve stem 22 is in the raised position shown in FIG. 1. However, at such time that the valve stem 22 is depressed to locate the opening 28 thereof below the washer 24, a discharge will take place of not only liquid aerosol substance occupying the interior of the valve housing 30 but also of gas or vapor, passing through the passage provided by the L-shaped groove 46. In consequence, a more complete vaporization or atomization of the aerosol substance is obtained as it issues from the discharge orifice.

'Where the sealing washer 14 has a close fit around the valve housing 30, as shown in FIG. 1, a groove or passage 50 may be provided at the inner periphery of the washer, to enable the gas or vapor to flow upward between the washer and the valve housing.

It will now be understood that by varying the depth of the groove 46, the escape passage or vapor tap may be made to have a greater or lesser cross sectional area, and in fact extremely small cross sectional areas may be obtained without difficulty, and Without involving the use of small diameter pins or the like protruding into the mold ICEVltlCS. Thus, the construction as provided by the invention has a distinct advantage in facilitating the molding of the valve parts, and in enabling a very close control of the escape of gas tobe lhad.

In place of the L-shaped groove 46 provided in the rim portion 44 of the valve housing 30, a grooved formation may be provided at another place, as for example at the lower end of the valve housing. Such organization is also illustrated in FIG. 1, wherein a shallow, elongate, internal, vertically extending groove 54 is provided at the interior of the lower end of the valve housing. Such groove, in conjunction with the exterior cylindrical surface of the top portion 34 of the dip tube, provides an effective vapor tap or gas passage for the purpose of obtaining a more complete atomization of the aerosol substance. Gas, in passing upward through the groove 54 will mix with the aerosol liquid being forced upward through the dip tube portion 34 and through the bore of the valve housing 30, and such admixture will he effeotive in reducing the size of the liquid droplets issuing from the discharge orifice. As with the groove 46, a close control of the cross sectional area of the gas passage is obtained by the use of the internal groove 54, all without the use of small diameter pins or the like in the molding cavity. The resultant mold construction is therefore inexpensive, and the molding of the valve housing may be carried out without any complications, because of the simplicity of the grooved formations which constitute the vapor escape passages.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims, and portions of the improvement may be used without others.

I claim:

1. In an aerosol valve construction, in combination:

(a) a tubular, molded plastic valve housing adapted to be mounted in the upper portion of a pressurized aerosol container, said valve housing having an annular end part arranged to be normally disposed in the gas area of the container, and having a passage through it for aerosol substance,

(b) valve means connected with the. valve housing,

for controlling the flow of aerosol substance through the passage thereof,

(c) a tubular part tightly engaged with the annular end of the valve housing, said part having a passage through which the aerosol substance passes as it flows through the valve housing,

(d) said annular end part of the valve housing and tubular part having a common connection constituted of co-engaging annular surfaces, one of said parts having a fine groove of commensurate width and depth in the annular surface thereof, said groove being directed at the said passage for aerosol substance in the valve housing and providing a by-pass escape passage for gas through the connection formed by the annual surfaces whereby such gas as a fine jet impinges on and mixes with the aerosol substance passing through the valve housing.

2. A valve construction as in claim 1, wherein:

(a) the tubular part comprises a mounting cup for securing the valve housing to the container,

(b) a sealing washer is provided, surrounding the valve housing and engaged with the mounting cup, (0) the annular end part of the housing is disposed above said sealing washer,

(d) an off-center passage is provided at the inner periphery of the sealing washer, to enable gas to flow upward between the washer and valve housing, to the annular end part of the latter.

3. A valve construction as in claim 1, wherein:

(a) the annular end part of the valve housing comprises t-he upper rim thereof,

(b) the said tubular part comprises a mounting cup in which the rim of the valve housing is received,

(0) a valve washer is provided, disposed between the housing rim and the mounting cup, said groove enabling gas to pass between the washer and rim.

4. A valve construction as in claim 3, wherein:

(a) the upper rim of the valve housing is provided with the groove,

(b) said groove being disposed in both the top and the outside surfaces of the rim.

5. A valve construction as in claim 1, wherein:

(a) the annular end part of the valve housing comprises the lower end thereof,

(b) the tubular part comprises a dip tube frictionally fitted in the annular end part.

6. A valve construction as in claim 5, wherein:

(a) the lower end of the valve housing has the groove,

(b) said groove being disposed in the inner surface of the housing end.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,119,643 6/ 1938 Mendl 222--394 2,616,762 11/1952 Holmes 239-369 X 2,980,342 4/1961 Armour 239--369 X 2,995,278 8/ 1961 Clapp. 3,069,098 12/1962 Frangos et a1. 239369 X RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN AN AEROSOL VALVE CONSTRUCTION, IN COMBINATION: (A) A TUBULAR, MOLDED PLASTIC VALVE HOUSING ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED IN THE UPPER PORTION OF A PRESSURIZED AEROSOL CONTAINER, SAID VALVE HOUSING HAVING AN ANNULAR END PART ARRANGED TO BE NORMALLY DISPOSED IN THE GAS AREA OF THE CONTAINER, AND HAVING A PASSAGE THROUGH IT FOR AEROSOL SUBSTANCE, (B) VALVE MEANS CONNECTED WITH THE VALVE HOUSING, FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF AEROSOL SUBSTANCE THROUGH THE PASAGE THEREOF, (C) A TUBULAR PART TIGHTLY ENGAGED WITH THE ANNULAR END OF THE VALVE HOUSING, SAID PART HAVING A PASSAGE THROUGH WHICH THE AEROSOL SUBSTANCE PASSES AS IT FLOWS THROUGH THE VALVE HOUSING, (D) SAID ANNULAR END PART OF THE VALVE HOUSING AND TUBULAR PART HAVING A COMMON CONNECTION CONSTITUTED OF CO-ENGAGING ANNULAR SURFACES, ONE OF SAID PARTS HAVING A FINE GROOVE OF COMMENSURATE WIDTH AND DEPTH IN THE ANNULAR SURFACE THEREOF, SAID GROOVE BEING DIRECTED AT THE SAID PASSAGE FOR AEROSOL SUBSTANCE IN THE VALVE HOUSING AND PROVIDING A BY-PASS ESCAPE PASSAGE FOR GAS THROUGH THE CONNECTION FORMED BY THE ANNUAL SURFACES WHEREBY SUCH GAS AS A FINE JET IMPINGES ON AND MIXES WITH THE AEROSOL SUBSTANCE PASSING THROUGH THE VALVE HOUSING. 